UAE leaders offer Nowruz greetings

President Sheikh Mohamed has sent his best wishes to those celebrating the festival of Nowruz, the Iranian new year.

“I extend my sincere best wishes to all those celebrating Nowruz, both in the UAE and around the world, and hope that the year ahead is one of peace and prosperity for you and your families,” he wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday.

He was joined by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, who also wrote on X: "We extend our warmest congratulations to all peoples around the world celebrating Nowruz, wishing them a joyful year ahead.

"May your days be abundant with blossoming springs, peace and security, and may you thrive in prosperity and stability."

Nowruz is believed to date back to about the sixth century BC, and is one of the holiest days in the ancient Zoroastrian calendar.

About 300 million people are said to observe the holiday, which celebrates renewal and the coming spring, every year.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid receives Ramadan well-wishers in Dubai

The word Nowruz loosely translates to new day, combining the Farsi words “now”, meaning new, and “ruz”, meaning day.

It is traditionally marked in parts of Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, India, Iraqi Kurdistan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.

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